IELTS Writing Task 1: comparing numbers
In IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, you will often face charts, tables, or graphs that require you to compare data. Examiners want to see that you can:
- Describe increases and decreases.
- Compare similarities and differences.
- Highlight the most significant trends.
- Use a wide range of cohesive devices instead of repeating the same words (e.g., increase, decrease, more, less).
Using varied and precise language can push your score from Band 6.0 to Band 8.0+.
Vocabulary Bank: Comparing Numbers
🔺 Describing Increases
- rose to
- went up by
- experienced an increase in
- saw a sharp rise in
- reached a peak of
- climbed steadily
🔻 Describing Decreases
- fell to
- declined gradually
- dropped sharply
- witnessed a fall in
- reached a low point of
- bottomed out
📈 Talking About Stability
- remained stable
- stayed constant
- was unchanged
- levelled off
- showed no significant change
⚖️ Comparing Data
- compared with
- in contrast to
- slightly higher than
- much lower than
- almost the same as
- significantly more/less than
🏆 Highlighting Extremes
- the highest proportion
- the lowest figure
- the largest number
- the smallest percentage
- dominated by
- accounted for the majority
Model Sentences You Can Copy
- There was a sharp increase in the number of international students, rising from 20,000 in 2010 to 45,000 in 2015.
- The percentage of men employed in agriculture declined steadily, while the figure for women remained stable.
- Sales of smartphones reached a peak of 70 million units in 2018 before falling slightly in the following year.
- The consumption of rice was almost the same in both countries, at around 50 kilograms per person per year.
- The chart shows that exports from China were significantly higher than those from India throughout the period.